leading question

American  

[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

noun

1. a question so worded as to suggest the proper or desired answer.

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leading question British  

/ ˈliːdɪŋ /

noun

1. a question phrased in a manner that tends to suggest the desired answer, such as What do you think of the horrible effects of pollution?

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leading question Cultural  

1. An unfair question that is designed to guide the respondent: “You were drunk the night of the accident, weren't you, Mr. Norris?”

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leading question Idioms  

1. A question worded so as to elicit particular information or a particular answer, as in When are you selling the business? This example assumes that the person is going to sell the business, an action that may not have been established or revealed. This expression originated with a specific meaning in law, that is, “a question that guides a witness toward a desired answer.” In court, this practice is called leading a witness and is forbidden. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of leading question

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Three years later, here for gigs with his jazz band, Allen answered a Times reporter’s leading question that maybe L.A.’s not such a bad place after all?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2023

When I ask people the admittedly leading question of whether their phone time enhances their life, there is usually some combination of laughing and wincing before they shake their heads and admit that it doesn't.

From Salon • Oct. 29, 2022

For years, if you’ve entered a leading question about something that never happened, Google has frequently offered snippets that seem to confirm its factuality, drawing out-of-context text fragments from a semi-related page.

From The Verge • Aug. 11, 2022

In his deposition, Ramsay acknowledged he had concerns about the Quintero investigation in part because of the way the Professional Standards Bureau detective framed a leading question when interviewing her partner about that shooting.

From Washington Times • Jul. 11, 2019

Herodotus, in the Persian War, tells a story of how Croesus, the richest and most-favored king of his time, asked Solon the Athenian a leading question.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck